How to import Experimental Protocol Header settings from a file

Background

The Experimental Protocol Header allows additional study information to be entered into the protocol and logged in the Excel (or Access) generated files. Information from these fields can also be used in conjunction with Pivot tables to provide a more complete output file (see Pivot Compatible Table Setup using Ponemah v5.20).

Import Functionality for Header Information

Service Pack 8 for version 5.20 introduced an import function to allow users to quickly and easily populate any and all fields simultaneously using a standard CSV formatted file (.txt). This file can be automatically generated by another application or manually created and modified as needed.

The “Import from File” function has been added to the bottom of the Experimental Protocol Header dialog. Clicking the button will launch the browse function to allow you to select the .txt file for importing. This feature is only available in idle mode and is not available in Review.

Creating an Import File

To create an import file, information must be formatted in a specific manner to ensure data is updated in the proper locations. The following rules apply:

Each line represents a group in the Experimental Header, Groups A through P

Not all Groups need to have information added in order for the import to function as expected

To skip a Group, leave a blank line to represent that Group

Lines are defined with the same fields in the Experimental Protocol Header and each field is separated by a comma delimiter (Scientist Name, Date, Time, Study, Treatment, Agent, Dose, etc.)

To skip a field, use commas with no information between them.

Below is an example of the formatting expected in the .txt file. Dr. Jones and 282016 will map to the first two fields in the Experimental Protocol Header, Scientist Name and Date, respectively. Next, notice “,,” after 282016. Recall that commas separate fields and when no information exists between commas, that field will be ignored. In this example, the Time field will be ignored and the next field in the list, “Study”, will be populated with “CV-1”. You will also notice the string of commas which will ignore fields “Agent through Strain” before adding information to the Animal Number field. Finally, two lines are left in between the informational lines. This represents Groups that will be excluded from the update. In the example below, Groups A-D will be populated, E and F will be excluded (two spaces), and G-J will also be updated.